The Silent Hero
by Nuggyy
Summary: Many wonder why the Chosen One chooses to stay silent, but after a lifetime of struggles, and having your heart ripped apart piece by piece, would you have anything left to say? (Or: The story of Link, The Silent Hero)
1. Happy Beginnings

"Wake up, my love.. Open your eyes.."

Link stirred in his bed a moment, opening his eyes just a sliver. Bright light from his window filtered into his retinas, causing his eyelids squeeze shut. His mother let out a silvery laugh, light and airy, not unlike the beautiful birdsong from outside. Upon hearing his mother's voice, Link's eyes shot open.

"Mama!" Link nearly leapt onto his mother and wrapped his little arms around her neck.

"Happy birthday Link," she said in her gentle, sing-song voice. "My little boy is already nine years old!" She looked at her son with the utmost affection, then picked him up and sat him on her lap, stroking the silky, golden hair atop his head, a physical trait they both shared.

Link grinned widely, looking like a miniature version of his father. They had the same charming smile, with a dimple on his left cheek that would pop up now and then. His mother guessed that Link, with his good looks and his father's million-rupee smile, would steal many girl's hearts.

"Are you hungry, little man?" His mother asked. Link's eyes lit up, and he nodded his head frantically, bouncing up and down. His mother let out another laugh, and held her little glutton tightly against her side and stood up, heading to the kitchen.

"Pancakes!" Link wriggled in his mother's arms, absolutely famished all of a sudden. There was a huge stack of pancakes on the table. He noticed there was a special pancake, in the shape of an "L", for "Link". He gasped, utterly astonished.

"Mother, how did you do that?!"

"It was easy. I'll teach you sometime." She promised.

The front door swung open, and heavy feet rumbled the floor. Link's ears shot up.

"I'm home! Where are my hugs and kisses?" Link's father's voice bellowed out.

"FATHER!" Link shouted and wiggled out of his mothers arms. As soon as his nimble feet touched the floor he dashed towards his father. He gripped Link under his armpits and lifted him up without difficulty. He gave him a big, wet kiss on the cheek and held him tightly against his broad chest. Link threw his arms around his fathers neck, hugging him tightly.

"I've missed you little warrior! How old is my birthday boy turning today?"

"Da-ad! How can you not remember? I'm _nine_!" Link giggled. His father positioned him against his side and walked into the kitchen, where he found his wife dishing them up some pancakes. Link, for a boy irregularly small for his age ate enough to sustain two grown men! He inherited that trait from his father and even his mother, though she was reluctant to admit it.

"There's my beautiful wife!" He roared. He sat link down on a chair, and kissed his wife on the cheek, gripping her waist. She swung her arms around his neck and smiled.

Link made a 'gag' noise and focused on buttering his pancakes, of which there were five, all about the size of the his plate. He then poured a generous amount of coarser bee honey over them. With a lick of his lips, he began to sloppily cut his pancakes and shove them in his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing them down.

His father peered over at his sons plate as he was sitting down at their table.

"Hey little buddy, you want some pancake with that honey?" He joked, while poking his son in the ribs.

Link squirmed in his chair and giggled loudly, his mother joined in, covering her mouth with a dainty hand, as if she was trying to catch the giggles leaving her lips.

"DONE!" Link cried out with pride once he licked every crumb off of his plate. His mother would usually scold him for such rude behavior, but seeing as today was his birthday, she let it slide this time. She toke their dishes to the kitchen sink and began to clean up.

"Hey, Link, I've got something to show you, come here," His dad gestured for Link to follow him. Link nodded and ran after his father. Outside, his father stood by their pond, facing Link's direction with two hands behind his back. They ran outside, stopping to pet their horse on the way.

"Pick a hand, if you choose the correct one, you'll get a present." His father told him. Link hesitated for a moment, his features scrunching up slightly.

"Left!" Link shouted enthusiastically. His father held out his left hand, empty.

"Aw shucks.. I guess you don't get to have this cool sword…" He said, casually revealing a sword from behind his back. Link's eyes lit up and he gasped in astonishment.

"B-but father…" Link pleaded. Link's father let out a hearty laugh, so loud that the birds perched on the apple tree in their backyard flap away.

"It was a joke, my boy!" Link's father patted his son on the head, and kneelt down in front of him.

"This sword is a specially forged by a blacksmith in Goron city! It looks a little big for you now, but you'll grow in time. Heck, you'll probably outgrow me. Go on, hold it!" he thrust the sword towards his son's outstretched arms. The sword was almost as long as Link was, but it was beautifully made. There were ornate engraftation's in the hilt of the sword, and it was somewhat light, yet sturdy.

"Father, I.. Thank you!" Link was elated, he always wanted a real sword.

His father continued to instruct him on his swordsmanship the rest of the day, like he's done since Link could walk.

Today, he taught Link one of his "special moves".. The "Spin Attack"! The first few times Link attempted the attack, he collapsed and almost puked. But, by the end of the day, he got the hang of it pretty well.

Link's father knew his son was a prodigy, that he was destined for great things.

"Dinner!" Link's mother announced. Link and his father looked at each other with a silly grin on their face. They both enjoyed dinner time more than anything else.

As they entered the house, they were welcomed by the mouth-watering scent of deer stew, which tasted as good as it smelled. After dinner, Link's mother brought out a decedent chocolate cake, smothered with rich chocolate icing, with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINK" written in white.

"Make a wish, my sweet." His mother prodded. Link thought hard, his eyes lifting towards the ceiling, his face focused. Then, his eyes snapped back into place, and he grinned mischievously

"I wish for a little brother to play with!" He said, and blew on his candles.

One stubborn candle remained, however. The flame flickering with stubbornness, as if it wanted Link to take his wish back. He blew again, but the candle remained aflame, glaring at link angrily, trying to stop him.

With one last blow, he finally extinguished the candle flame, and it was done. His parents started to clap and cheer, his mother planting a kiss on his forehead. The cake was pure bliss, moist, and with more icing in between the two cake layers, a pleasant surprise. His mother was the best chef in Hyrule!

It was late, and Link's mother noticed he was utterly pooped, and struggled to keep his eyes open. She picked up him up and placed him in his bed, and pulled the sheets over his torso.

"Before you go to sleep, Link, I have another gift for you." At the mention of a gift Links eyes widened, and his ears twitched a tiny bit. His mother left the room for a moment, and came back, sitting on his bed. She placed a beautiful leather journal in his hands. There were golden hinges, and what seemed like endless pages, which Link flipped through quickly with his thumb. He noticed at the back of the journal, there were some of his mother's favorite recipes in there.

"This journal, is for writing in. Sometimes, it's hard to tell others how you're feeling. But, it's not good to hold in feelings. That's why, I'm giving you this. So, when you feel like you to vent about something, whether it be positive or negative, you can do so safely in here." She explained, stroking her sons soft hair.

"Thank you, mother." Link said, giving her a hug.

"Sweet dreams," his mother tucked him into bed and kissed his cheek.

"Night mama." And Link's slumber was blessed with joyful dreams.

An owl perched on his windowsill, it's hoots disrupting the peaceful quiet of the night.


	2. Ever-Readjusting

Ten months ago, Link had everything.

He had a kind, brave father and a mother who cared about her son more than she did about herself, and devoted her life to make him happy and safe, a household filled with love.

All of that was gone. Ten months ago, his mother died during childbirth, along with his newborn sibling. As Link, utterly horrified, watched the life drain from his once lively mothers eyes, he witnessed his fathers soul die with her.

Her death hit him hard, an arrow piercing his heart and shattering his soul, leaving him empty. His father no longer possessed his charming smile, the witty and confidant glimmer in his eyes dulled over into a cold, empty glare. He dropped his esteemed position as a knight in favor of the liquid poison that seemed to numb his pain.

For hours, Link would let arrows fly until his hand was bleeding and he couldn't physically nock another one. He'd swing his sword until he couldn't lift his arms, and he'd do pushups until he collapsed in the dirt. His father has always wished for Link to be a knight, and now, since his mother is gone, his father is able to push him to his limits without her interfering.

For the next year, Link doesn't speak much, for what were words useful for, when there was no one who cared to listen? So instead, he listened. He listened to his fathers drunk ramblings, listened to his insults, and obeyed. Link obeyed his fathers every word.

He didn't want to end up with another bruise, did he?

 _"I wonder why he's pushing me so hard all of a sudden…_ " Link would ask himself, as he collapsed in exhaustion outside his bedroom door.

Light from Link's window seeped into his eyelids and triggered a natural alarm clock inside his brain. He moaned and flipped over.

The birds were chirping in perfect harmony, their sound heavenly. But for Link, their birdsong was a sorrowful reminder that he'd never hear his mothers angelic voice again. He'd never feel the warmth of her embrace. He'd never sit down to one of her meals again. Link would never have anyone to confide in, as there was no one who cared now.

His eyes started moisten.

Link stood up, and made his mind to fix himself some breakfast. On his way, he peered into his paren - _his father'_ s bedroom with caution.

It was empty. Odd, because Link's father usually slept until noon nowadays. _Maybe he was outside?_ Link decided to take a detour outside before feeding himself. He looked all around their house, and into the shed. He wasn't there. Buttercup was gone from her stable, so his father must have ridden her out into town. The bird's chirping was louder outside, so Link went back in the house.

In the kitchen, Link made himself an omelet, and downed a huge glass of goat milk.

It was time for Link to train. He grabbed his custom-made sword from Goron City (which was a little easier for him to wield now), and head out to his training dummy outside.

Link blocked out the birdsong, and proceeded to practice some drills. Sword gripped in his left hand tightly, he made a horizontal swipe to the left, right, then diagonally slashing towards the ground. The dummy rattled from the impact.

While he was slashing, his fathers image came to mind. It made him go faster, and harder. Sweat dripped down his face, and his muscles tensed. After four sets of 15 repetitions, Link's heart was racing. His adrenalin was pumping. The birds chirped frantically, as if telling him;

" _Calm down, my son..."_

He paused a moment, taking a deep breath in.

Link decided to practice a hidden skill. _Maybe it would make father smile?_ He ran inside and toke an old yet ornate book down from the top shelf of his family's bookcase, using a chair from the kitchen to help him. He opened the book, and saw "the Back Slice". Enticed, he read the script aloud (the only time he talks it's to himself).

"…Strafe to the side and roll behind the enemy, quickly position yourself behind him and execute a jumping spin attack." He nodded, planning out the moves in his head.

" _A mere shield attack is no match for an enemy protected not just by a shield, but by a thick, full-body coat of armor. Such enemies are often focused on guarding against frequent frontal attacks. They often leave their rear unprotected."_

Outside, Link stood in front of the training dummy. With a breath in, he leapt to the side, and tried to roll behind the dummy. Instead, Link awkwardly flopped to the side.

 _Not good_. He got up, and tried again, this time executing a proper barrel-roll. Behind the dummy, with two hands on his sword, he leapt into the air and spun in circle, slashing up diagonally from his left side. It gave Link a rush knowing he performed a secret skill correctly. He performed the drill over and over again until he got dizzy and tired.

Satisfied with himself, It was time for lunch.

Link head to the kitchen and fixed up some veggie rice balls. He wished he had some meat right now, but his father hasn't gone hunting in a while. Link paused for a moment. _Where is he?_ He dismissed the thought and focused back on his training.

Feeling a little more energized, Link decided to go on a run around Hateno Village, making a few loops, occasionally stopping and talking with some of his neighbors. Later, he did some strength training, like push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups on his apple tree.

When he simply couldn't move anymore, he hobbled into his house and sat at the dining table.

It was getting dark out, and his father wasn't home. He decided to make dinner before he came home, hoping to please him. If he had any deer meat, he could prepare Deer Stew, his fathers favorite. But, all they had was rice, spices, wheat, and vegetables.

Link prepared a vegetable stir-fry. He tried to take as long as he could, even making bread to dip with, eagerly awaiting for his father to return, but he didn't. When he finished, he waited an hour before eating. His stir-fry was cold, but he ate it anyways. Link left a plate out, and washed the dishes he sullied before retiring to bed.

 _BANG_

Link shot up in his bed after hearing the door slam and heavy footsteps stumble in the door. Father was home. He heard his hands slam on the walls, presumably him himself falling over. Then, there was a louder _BANG_ , proceeded by silence.

Great, his father was plastered.

Link rose from his bed, lit a candle, and ventured downstairs to find his father. At the kitchen archway, he found his father, the plate of cold stir-fry in his hands.

His father's blue eyes met his son's, which were his own. He threw the plate on the ground at Link's feet, the ceramic smashing and sending shards in every direction, the noodles and veggies bouncing onto the floor. Link jumped in response, and his little heart stalled a moment.

"Why did ya leave this here, kid?!" His father's voice reverberated in their small kitchen. Link stayed silent, he hadn't spoken to his father for weeks.

"Huh?! I was talking to you, you little shit," his father continued. "If you don't answer, I'll scalp your girly little head."

Link gulped. "Y-you weren't home for dinner, so I left you a plate.." he mumbled.

"HUH? I couldn't hear ya, SPEAK UP." His father was really angry now, he hated mumbling more than anything. Link winced.

"I said… I left a plate for you for once you came home…" Link repeated, still in a small voice.

His father growled and walked right up to Link, and bent down so he was on his level. Link noticed how his father aged. There were wrinkles below his eyes from how much he squinted, and deep creases in his forehead. His breath rotted of whiskey, the smell making Link's gut wrench.

"Don't. Mumble." His father said slowly, in a kind voice. Not the kind of voice his mother would use, but in a way where you act nice, when you're really angry. Which in Link's opinion, the eeriness of false kindness was much more scary than yelling.

Link swallowed thickly. "I left the plate out for you to eat once you came home." He said in a much louder voice. By the way his father's ear twitched, he guessed he heard Link, but would only accept his answer if it was filled with hate. He wanted a reason to fight with Link. He wondered why he would want to hurt him, to fight with him. " _Some people just like to start trouble,"_ his mother once said. " _They desperately seek a reason to unleash their pent-up frustration"._

He could go either way with this; feed his father the anger he desperately wanted, or remain calm like usual, until his father grew frustrated and hit Link.

Link decided he would retaliate to his father, and tell him how he felt. He would usually act submissive around his father, but now he would stand his own ground.

"I left the plate out for your _drunk-ass_ to gorge on, once you returned from whatever _brothel_ you were drowning your _pathetic_ sorrows in!" Link screeched at him. His father snickered at Link, and a horrid smile crept upon his face.

"You DARE speak that way to your own loving FATHER?!" He inched close to Link, and his whiskey-breath spewed into Link's face and it toke him all he could not to gag. Instead, he just scoffed.

" ' _Loving fathe_ r'? You think yourself a loving father when you train me until exertion? When you leave me for days at a time? When you hurt me?" Link asked sarcastically. His father was legitimately caught by surprise, Link had never talked back before. Link toke his slack-jawed face as a sign to continue. "You are a DISGRACE! If _mother_ saw you this way, she would have abandoned you like grandpa did to y-"

 _SMACK_

Link fell to the floor, his cheek stung. He opened his eyes and saw his father standing over him, and felt the last bit of love he had for his father bury itself under the ground with his mother.

"I seems I'm going to have to teach you how to keep you mouth shut." His father said. His voice was eerily calm. He hoisted Link up, and dragged him outside to the shed by his arm. Link dragged his feet across the earth, screaming, and his father silenced him with a kick to the ribs. Link let out a blood curdling scream, and bit his tongue as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I said QUIET!" His father warned him, before taking him into the shed.

Every "method" his father use daily to teach link a "lesson" bean grandson a scream from Link. Each hit to his body stung, the pain the only thing keeping him conscious.

Link's bones ached from the impact of his father's boot, and his other _methods._ His tears seemingly endless as he cries himself to sleep after his "lesson" is over.

That night, Link cried for his dead mother. For his throbbing body, and most of all, for his father. His _papa_ , a once kind man, whose heart was filled with love, but now as cold as the Hebra Mountains, and meaner than a pack of bokoblins.

Link regrets the birthday wish he made two years prior.


	3. Journals Do Not Make One Weak

"I haven't touched this journal since the eve of Mother's death. The memories of this book… the feelings it arises in me… even a year later, It hurts me more to pick this up than father ever could with his fists. Hurts more than anything.

But I can take the pain.

Earlier this week, father surprised me one night before I had retired to sleep. ' _Pack your bags, we're going to Hyrule_ ,' he said.

And we did.

We rode in the pouring rain to Hyrule Castle. The welts on my thighs from Father's previous lashing made the ride particularly painful, although rain made rides more messy and difficult, it allowed me to let out some tears—of which I was grateful for.

The whole trip, we maintained the same, high speed, never stopping once. I feared my horse (and I) would perish from dehydration and fatigue. The trip had taken nearly all day, and we arrived early the next morning.

It wasn't my first time visiting the Castle (as Father was part of the Royal Guard, and I had accompanied him on various missions as a child), but as the clouds separated, and the warm, welcoming gold of the sun shone upon the castle, it appeared heavenly, like a secret oasis.

I remember feeling as if I'd found a safe haven, a paradise free from my world of troubles.

Soldiers were bustling around, and Captains were shouting orders to nervous trainees. _Pages_ were following their Knights, and _Squires_ hauling armour and weaponry about with tired faces and hunched shoulders.

Father and I walked further up the hill towards the Soldier's Garrison, where we met the Recruiter. When he laid eyes on my father, he had grinned, and ran over to shake his hand and pat his back.

' _Ah, it a pleasure to see you! And this—' He said, gesturing to me,_ ' _—your son, Link? It's been a while, my boy! Finally here to formally begin your training as a knight_?'

' _Yes, the time has finally come.'_ Father said, laughing jovially.

'I remember you would accompany your father on missions as a young boy—and that you could best grown men in swordplay as a boy of only four years!' The recruiter said to me, grinning.

It was true—when I was four, I had set out on my first mission with my father and a few other men. We travelled to Zora's Domain to relay a message to the Zora King. It was quite fun, actually. Though there were few monsters on the way.

It was also then that I had met the Zora Princess Mipha for the first time.

The Recruiter then asked me to demonstrate my abilities once again (even though I had already proven my strength in the past).

I fought three knights. I had easily won each round.

Although I certainly lacked the strength that the knights had, my speed and dexterity made up for it tenfold. Part of good swordplay was your skill with the blade, yes, but another is your endurance… when your opponent tires their movements become sloppy, and it gives you more chances to land a direct hit—winning the match.

' _Could you expect anything less from the son of the Royal Guard?'_ Father boasted, chest bursting with pride.

' _That boy is practically bursting with energy! It's amazing!_ ' The recruiter was astonished.

Little did he know, I had not slept for almost a whole day.

Him and Father talked about where I should be placed, and the Recruiter decided it best to place me with the Trainees four years above me.

' _A boy as skilled as him, who already knows the honour and worth of being a Hyrulean Knight, need not waste his time with serving others as a page, but rather he should begin his training as a knight.'_ The Recruiter said. Father nodded and smiled.

I hadn't really thought about honour or worth when deciding to become a Hyrulean Knight, though. It was just what I was destined to do, being the son of a Royal Guardsman.

' _Although_ ,' The Recruiter continued, 'I _do believe he should be trained individually—advanced training, if you will… not many children his age can defeat senior knights in swordplay so effortlessly as he can… I worry he will be too advanced even for the boys of sixteen.'_

When it was time for me to begin my tour of the castle, Father had charmingly excused himself. He skillfully mounted Buttercup and galloped down the spiralling path of the castle, presumably to drown himself in a tavern in Castle Town... Without saying a ' _Goodbye_ ' to me.

It didn't hurt me, though. I was just relieved to see him gone.

The rest of the day he took me about, showing me the different rooms in the castle, like the Docks and the armoury, and introducing me once again to some the higher up's, the esteemed knights, generals and trainers. I felt an enormous weight being placed on my back as he said ' _This boy is a son of the Royal Guard—the legend, Link! make sure you push him extra hard!'._

I of course knew he was joking, but what if the accomplishments of my father lead them to have higher expectations for me?

In a fortnight, other trainees and I will travel to the Military Training Camp, below the Lost Woods, to receive vigorous training from _'Hyrule's Best'._ Apparently, If you're not fit to their standards, they will kick you out of the training program.

And finally, I was led to the Trainee quarters—where I am now. The boys in there scoffed at me, most likely judging my height and age.

I heard them talking about me, saying that I'm _'just a little waif'_ , or wondering ' _why did they let a little girl in here?'_

 _Well, I shall let them find ou—"_

Link jumped from his seat at the table in the Trainee Quarters as a slimy mass slide down his back.

He writhed, reaching behind his back under his shirt to investigate while a burst of cruel, boyish laughter rang from behind him. Link's fingers groped a squishy, wet _thing,_ which he pulled out to reveal a Hot-Footed Frog.

"Hey Princess, kiss it and see if it turns into a Prince!" One of the older boys called out, inducing another burst of hearty laughter from the other boys. Link turned his head, to see the owner of the voice. It belonged to a tall, robust-looking raven haired boy. Who, if Link was correct in his accusation, was the one who thought he was a little girl.

Link set the frog on the ground, which began to hop away, before the black-haired boy thrust his boot down onto the frog—squishing it. A little pool of the frog's vermillion blood formed, dirtying the boy's boot.

"Ewww," He laughed. "That was utterly disgusting." The other boys began to laugh along with him, while Link just stared at the boy, disgusted with his actions.

The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes sarcastically and stepped closer to Link's bunk. "Aw c'mon, Princess, don't be such a stick in the mud. Laugh a little! It was just a dumb frog." Link stayed silent, not knowing how to react.

The boy's rude nickname for Link set him off, but he didn't really want to react. But his father once told him, " _Cowards don't defend themselves, and cowards, are the scum of this Kingdom."_ Link certainly didn't want to be a coward, but what could he do? He didn't want to have to _hurt_ the boy, and end up with a grudge on his back.

Maybe he could diffuse the situation with humour? But Link supposed that didn't really count as sticking up for yourself, rather, avoiding confrontation. Maybe...

"My name is _Link_ ," he said dryly. The raven haired boy started to laugh.

"Ooh, this one's got an attitude, eh boys? What's wrong, don't like your nickname, _princess_?"

"Oh yeah he does, _Lance_ ," a lanky redhead called out, advancing towards the raven-haired boy- or Lance. "Maybe he needs a timeout." Lance nodded his head at the idea.

"Why _Leon_ , you're absolutely right!" He proclaimed, advancing towards Link.

Link could feel the hairs on his arms stand on end, producing a static, cold feeling in his arms. Lance grew closer, and braced his arms to pick Link up.

 _Well, here goes my plans of not sticking out_.

With dizzying speed, Link ducked under the boy's arms and landed a hit to his side, causing Lance to double over in shock, clutching his side.

The taller boy's face pulled into a menacing grimace. Link was a tad surprised at how hard he punched him—that he actually hurt him… He didn't put much effort into his punch. The other boys let out a chorus of" _OHHHH_ " _s_ , and _Leon,_ the sinewy-looking redhead came up to his friend and faced Link. The _princess_ just stood there, waiting to make his next move.

"You... Little _shit!"_ Lance sputtered. "Oh, you're gonna get it!" He gestured to Leon and they both lunged towards Link.

The young boy effortlessly backflipped out of their reach, causing them to become angrier, and shocked at his skill. Lance and Leon continued throwing punches at Link—which he easily managed to dodge. He wanted to avoid hitting them any more, so perhaps he could just evade their attacks until they grew tired.

But eventually, they had backed Link into a wall, and he realized that he _had_ to fight the two boys.

Link was confused as to what to do next, when he noticed a broom in the corner to his left. He made a quick dash to pick it up, leaving the two older boys confused.

"Eh? Are you trying to escape, Princess?" Lance asked, making his way over to Link.

"No." Link answered, wielding the broom as if it was a lance. He dashed over to Lance, and lunged as he jabbed the pole-end of the _lance_ into his stomach. The boy's face distorted in extreme pain as the broom entered deep into his gut, just below the ribs.

Link retracted the broom and thrust the broom into Leon's gut—just as he did to Lance. Leon was too shocked to make any attempt at dodging, and he crumpled to the ground like his friend.

The two began to puke on the floor, crying in extreme pain. Link could smell the familiar scent of blood amongst the stench of bile, and he knew that he did well.

The boys surrounding them went silent, and began to fearfully back away from the boy wielding the broom. One began to scream, and scrambled out of the room. Many boys gave follow, while Link simply stood there, inspecting the two boys.

 _Perhaps Link went too hard.?_

The boys were surrounded in a pool of their own vomit and blood, still wincing and moaning in pain. Link truly felt sorry—he didn't mean to inflict so much pain upon them…

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to hit so hard," He muttered to the boys.

They didn't answer.

Link set the broom up where he had found it, and decided that he would go leave the scene. His heart began to pound with anxiety—he did not want to be held accountable for their injuries. A worrying thought began to cloud his mind, and breathing became hard.

 _What if they die..?_

Link didn't know what would happen to him if they had died… it certainly wouldn't be good.

A medic and a few knights came running into the tent, and their faces wrinkled in disgust as they surveyed the scene in the Trainee Quarters. The medic scrambled over to the boys, and examined their writhing forms.

"What… what happened here..?" One of the knights—with a big moustache asked. Link gulped.

"These boys… They picked a fight with me—so I defended myself…" Link replied honestly.

"They look _horrible_! Were you trying to _kill_ them? " The knight asked, slowly walking towards Link. "Where did you even find a weapon to wield?"

"N-no, I… I only meant to stop them. I didn't want to be pegged as weak, sir… so, I grabbed that broom—I figured it'd make a good makeshift lance…" Link cried.

"Wait," another knight called out. "You… you're Link, son of the captain of the Royal Guard, correct?" Link nodded his head. The other two knights " _Ahh_ 'd" in realization.

Their demeanour changed from shocked to prideful at learning Link's identity.

"Wow, as expected from the son of the Royal Guard's Captain!" They cheered. Gathering around Link, the guardsmen lavished him with praise. Apparently, the knights had expected Link to be some sort of killing machine—not unlike a _weapon_

Well, at least he wasn't in trouble.

The medic fretted over the two boys, and called for the knights to help carry them to the infirmary. Apparently, they weren't doing too well. Both of the boys had a fever, and were coughing up a lot of blood.

Two of the knights left carrying the boys, leaving Link alone with the knight who had first recognized his identity.

"Link, I think you may have actually killed them!" The knight laughed.

"Oh, I hope not… I really didn't mean to hurt them so badly." Link said, his gut twisting with guilt.

"Hey, it's fine." The knight consoled, "To kill another knight—or, _knight-in-training_ , I should say—is a testament to one's skill… It is especially rare for a _trainee_ to inflict such damage on their upperclassmen, to boot."

Link flinched, confused as to how killing someone was considered something to be proud of. He felt awfully guilty for hurting those boys, and hoped to the Goddess that they would not die… even if they were _scum_.

The knight patted Link on the back, his eyes glimmering with pride. "I have no doubts that you will be Hyrule's greatest asset—a pure killing machine." He said. "When the time comes, perhaps _you_ will be the one to strike the Calamity Ganon down…"

Link's heart froze.

The threat of the Calamity was lurking in the background of the Hyrulean's daily lives. Nearly five years ago, the King had announced that the fairytales about the _Evil Scourge, Ganon,_ and the _Legendary Hero,_ and the _Princess with the blood of the Goddess_ were truly real—and that the threat of the Scourge resurrecting was a legitimate threat.

The King had begun excavating large areas of historical interest searching for ancient _machines_ that the _Sheikah_ tribe had created centuries ago for the purpose of combating Ganon. Not too long ago, they had discovered a spider-like machine, which had the ability to shoot lasers from it's eyes.

Zelda, the princess of Hyrule was rumoured to be training diligently as well, to activate the sacred sealing power that the princess's of her bloodline were said to possess. The Queen had that sacred ability as well, but… The Queen had past away five years ago.

"T-to insinuate that I carry the title of Legendary Hero i-is too grand a compliment, sir!" Link stammered. "I am not so great of a warrior—I am just like any other boy my age!"

"Oh, do not be so modest, boy. You have proved the resourcefulness, skill and strength characterteristic of the Hero who shall save Hyrule from Calamity." The man insisted, causing Link to heat up. "Besides—what boy could kill those nearly twice his size with a broom?"

"Please, I must ask you to stop, sir." Link pleaded, "Your direct accusations of me being the fated hero are absolutely f-foolish.. N-not that I am calling you foolish, but rather—"

The knight interrupted him with his jovial laughter. "Oh, hold your tongue, boy! I was merely jesting. However, I stand firm in my belief that you are truly a special warrior… a killing machine."

Link gulped at the notion of being a "killing machine". He didn't want such a defiling title…

"But sir, It hasn't even been confirmed that I have killed them! They were just in bad shape, is all…" Link cried.

"Trust me, boy… I know a dead man when I see one." The knight said. "Or should I say, _two_ dead men?"

Link gulped.

For someone who had planned not to make such an impression on the first day, he was making one. At least he had clarified one thing…

He was not _weak._

As fate would have it, the two boys were confirmed to have died the next day. Link couldn't believe it—how could jabbing them with a _broom_ in the stomach _kill_ them? When Link asked _The Knight_ , he said it was because their stomach had _exploded,_ causing the boys to bleed to death from the inside…

Truly gruesome.

Link sighed, feeling the weight of murder being placed on his chest for the very first time—at the young age of twelve.


End file.
